What does it mean to be justified?

Justification is a legal term. It doesn't mean that your wrongdoings (sin) are forgiven. Someone who is justified in court is declared innocent as if they never sinned to begin with (that's righteousness). Of course, we aren't righteous on our own. Instead God imputed Christ's righteousness on us as Christ takes our sin on himself. In other words, God took Christ's righteousness and put it on us and took our sin and put it on Christ. It's the only way we can be justified before God, the judge of all judges.

You may have never heard of the term, or fully understand what it means to be justified. Not understanding the fullness of what justification is, though, can keep us from truly appreciating what happens to us at the moment of salvation. To be justified means to be declared right before God.

From the point that sin entered the world through Adam and Eve, every single person was born in sin and at enmity with God. This sounds really scary and to be honest, it is, apart from Jesus. God made a way for His creation to be reconciled to Himself, and this is exactly what justification encompasses. To be justified before God is to walk in the eternal life that Jesus offers to us, where the unrighteous are being made righteous. This doesn’t happen by anything that we can do or say, but because the righteousness of Christ has been bestowed on us.

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21

It is because Jesus bore the weight and penalty of our sin that we are able to experience freedom from sin and a relationship with God. Being justified in Christ is not only a work of God, but a gift given to us so that we can have an abundant life throughout all eternity.

The righteousness we received is only possible through faith in the gospel. It can’t be obtained through following the law or being a good person. There is nothing within ourselves that makes the work of salvation possible. Theologian Johnathan Edwards said it best when he said, “The only thing that we contribute to our salvation is the sin that makes it necessary.” No one measures up against the holiness of God, we all have sinned, and we need Jesus to be declared righteous.

Romans 1:17 says, “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, 'The righteous shall live by faith.'” Within this verse, Paul talks about righteousness and the Greek word used is dikaios or dikaiosune. This is translated to regard or declare as righteous. In this verse, Paul is saying that God gives His grace to people in order to be regarded as righteous. As broken people, we are unable to have righteousness on our own, but through the work of God, we can.

We are only justified and declared as righteous through the gift of faith that comes from God. However, this declaration of righteousness isn’t where it stops, rather, we must place our faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. The life, death, and resurrection of Christ is what allows us to be justified. It’s the sacrifice of Christ that covers our sin and makes reconciliation with God possible.

We’re justified not because of anything we’ve done, but because of whose we are. Through the blood of Jesus, God’s wrath is quenched and as His children, we stand justified.

by Emily LaGrone